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| Contents |
What's Fratton Park
Like?
Looking
Towards The Fratton End
(photo)
What
Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
South
Stand (photo)
Where To
Drink?
North Stand (photo)
How To
Get There And Where To Park
By
Train
Milton End (photo)
Local Rivals
Admission Prices For
Away Fans
Programme & Fanzine
Ground
Layout
Fixtures 2012-2013
Disabled Facilities Record
& Average Attendance
Fans Ground Reviews
Hotel Accommodation
Fratton Park Location Map
Other Places
Of Interest
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| What's Fratton Park
Like? |
Fratton Park is a traditional looking
ground and one which oozes character. Both side
stands are two tiered and originally had terracing
at the front, which has now been replaced with
seating. The South Stand dates back to 1925 and
was originally designed by Archibald Leitch who
also designed a number of grounds and stands
around this period. Although showing its age in
parts, it has plenty of character with an old
fashioned looking media gantry perched on its roof
and raised team dugouts at its front. Opposite the
North Stand opened in 1935, looks somewhat plain
and functional. Both the North & South Stands
are two tiered and have a number of supporting
pillars.
At one end is the Fratton End, which is a more
modern single tiered stand that was opened in
1997. It is of a good size and is the tallest
stand at the ground. Opposite is the recently
covered Milton End, which is all seated. Part of
this stand is given to away fans. On one corner of
this stand by the away supporters is a Police
Control Box that also has a large video screen
perched upon its roof. The ground is completed
with a superb looking set of tall floodlights that
were first used in 1962.
If you get chance to
wander around the outside of the ground
beforehand then make sure to go down towards the
home end to look at the mock tudor facade in Frogmore Road.
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| Looking Towards The Fratton End |
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| What
Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? |
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Away fans are housed on one side
of the Milton End (on the North Stand side) where
the normal allocation is 2,000. If demand requires
it, then the whole of this end can be allocated,
raising the allocation to 3,200 seats. Although
this end now benefits from having cover, the
facilities within are pretty basic and the leg
room tight, as this stand was a former terrace
that has been converted to all seating. There are
also some supporting pillars along the front of
the stand that may impede you view. On a positive
note, away supporters can really make some noise
from this stand, further contributing to what is
normally a great atmosphere, which is further
aided by a drummer and bell ringer in the Fratton
End.
Although this end is shared with home supporters,
the Pompey home support get behind their team but
generally in a non-intimidatory way towards the
away contingent. Fans were literally separated by
a netted area only three seats wide, but on my
last visit there were no problems whatsoever.
Entrance to the stand is gained by inserting your
ticket into a bar code reader. If you have not
pre-purchased a ticket for the game, then allow
yourself plenty of time as the ticket booth is
located at the opposite end of the ground to the
away end. On the whole though try to sit back and
enjoy Fratton Park such older grounds now are
becoming few and far between with the advent of
new stadia being built.
Chris
Saunders a visiting Middlesbrough fan adds; 'It
terms of facilities the ground is light years away from
Premiership standard, but
the atmosphere is electric with the legendary 'Play Up
Pompey' echoing around the ground. The
Portsmouth fans are a great
bunch and made me most welcome.
If you are feeling hungry then there is a McDonalds
and KFC across the road from
the ground.'
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South
Stand
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| Where To
Drink? |
On my last visit I went to the Good
Companion pub, which is on the main A2030 about a
five minute walk away from the ground. It is a large
pub serving real ales and had a good mix of home and
away support. I also noticed that it was doing a
brisk business in food. Martin Hewitt recommends the
Harvester, but advises away fans to avoid the Milton
Arms and the Newcome Arms. Whilst Ian Pratt suggests
the Brewers Arms which is 'always popular with away
fans'. Steve Yeoman a visiting Manchester United fan
informs me; 'just outside the ground at the north
east corner a large enclosed white marquee has been
erected for away fans. It has a bar, televisions and
was free to enter. There is a handy burger van
located outside'.
Derek Hall adds; 'Found a cracking little pub, about
a mile away from the ground, on Fawcett Road. It's
called (very appropriately) The Red, White and Blue.
There are also a few other pubs - and plenty of
take-aways (of all varieties) along this road.
Friendly staff, friendly Pompey fans (chiefly, of
the elder variety) and simple food fayre on offer.
To reach the pub, you just head west from the
ground, towards the Fratton Railway Station, along
Goldsmith Avenue. Just past the station, you reach a
roundabout - and Fawcett Road is immediately on your
left'.
Pete Wood a
visiting Doncaster Rovers fan informs me; 'If
travelling by train from London, then your return ticket from
London Waterloo allows you to get off at either
Fratton (nearest to ground), Portsmouth &
Southsea (best for pubs) or Portsmouth Harbour. What
we did was have a drink in the two Wetherspoon pubs
near Portsmouth & Southsea Station before
getting the train back to Fratton for the match. You
can catch a train back to Waterloo from Fratton
after the game. The trains run every 20 or 30
minutes or so'.
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North Stand
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| How To
Get There And Where To Park |
Go
along the M27 (ignoring the M275 turn off for
Portsmouth town centre) and
continue on to the A27. At the junction with
the A2030 turn right towards Southsea/Fratton and just continue straight along the
A2030 and eventually you will see the ground in front
of you, just slightly to your left.
There is a large car park behind the TY Europe Stand,
but this is for home supporters only. So it is mostly
street parking for away fans. The
good news is that there are few parking restrictions
in place close to the ground. So if you arrive
early enough, you can park only a few minutes walk
away. When I have visited, I have parked in one of
the side streets, found on the right hand side
of the A2030 before you reach the Good Companion
pub. Alternatively Miltoncross School, which is a
five minute walk from the ground offers parking at
£6 per car. The school is located in Milton Road
(post code PO3 6RB). Derek Hall
adds; 'There is also a very large car park (for a
fiver) on the corner of Velder Avenue and Milton
Road (a couple of minutes walk behind the away
end)'.
Map showing the location of
Fratton Park (at the bottom of this page).
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| By
Train |
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The
nearest local train station is Fratton, which is a
ten minute walk away. Portsmouth train station is at
least a 25 minute walk away.
On arrival at Fratton by train you pass the ground
on the left. Fratton station has a footbridge as the
only way out. At the top of the stairs from the
platform turn left onto the footbridge (from which
you can see the floodlights of Fratton Park) and
exit into Goldsmith Avenue. (Note that if the gate
on the footbridge is closed you need to turn right
on the footbridge and exit via Platform 1, turn left
as you exit the station, walk 30 metres and go back
over the footbridge to Goldsmith Avenue.) Turn left
along Goldsmith Avenue and walk about half a mile
passing straight around a small roundabout (by the
Pompey Centre). Then Turn Left into Frogmore Road
and the entrance to the Fratton End and South Stands
is 100m ahead. For the Milton End stay on Goldsmith
Avenue for another 100m and turn left into Apsley
Road. The entrances to the Milton End are 100m
ahead.
Thanks to Peter
Coulthard for providing the directions.
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Milton End
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| Local Rivals |
| Southampton.
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| Admission Prices For Away
Fans |
Milton End:
Adults £20
Over 60's/Under 23's £15
Under 16's £10
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| Programme & Fanzine |
Official Programme £3
Park Life Fanzine £1.50
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Ground
Layout
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| Fixtures 2012-2013 |
| Portsmouth
FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
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| Disabled
Facilities |
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details of disabled facilities and club contact at the
ground please visit the relevant page on the Level
Playing Field website.
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| Record
& Average Attendance |
Record
Attendance:
51,385 v Derby County
FA Cup 6th Round, February 26th, 1949.
Modern All Seated Attendance
Record:
20,821 v Tottenham Hotspur,
Premier League, October 17th 2009.
Average Attendance:
2011-2012: 15,016 (Championship League)
2010-2011: 15,707 (Championship League)
2009-2010: 18,249 (Premier League)
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| Fans Reviews Of Fratton Park |
Paul Willott
(Preston North End) 15/12/12
James Spring (Notts
County) 3/11/12
Ronan
Howard (Swindon Town) 18/9/12
Jamie Burton
(West Ham United) 14/1/12
Alex Smith (Coventry
City) 3/12/11
Dean Williamson
(Blackpool) 24/9/11
Andrew Daffren
(Leicester City) 24/9/10
Peter Radford (Wycombe
Wanderers) 26/01/10
Lee Jones (Swansea
City) 24/01/09
Neil Harding (Hull
City) 22/11/08
Kevin McCann (Stirling
Albion Fan Doing The 92) 23/2/08
Tim Watson (Derby County)
19/1/08
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| Hotel
Accommodation |
If you require hotel
accommodation in the area then first try a hotel
booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all
types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets
from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast
establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced
Apartments. Plus their booking system is
straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will
earn a small commission if you book through them, but
it will go to help with the running costs of keeping
the Guide going. The Hotels listing also includes
details of how far away the accommodation is located
from the football ground.
Access
their Portsmouth
Hotels and Guest Houses page.
Remember that you can use the above link or panel
below to book any other hotels that you may need
for business or leisure, either in the UK or
abroad.
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| Map
Showing The Location Of Fratton Park, Railway
Stations and Listed pubs |
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Instructions for using
the map:
- Use the bar on the left of the map to zoom in /
out using the + / - keys.
- Click and drag an area of the map to move around
or use the up/down, left/right arrows
- Click the Satellite button to see aerial view
photograph.
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| Other Places Of
Interest |
Southsea
adjoining Portsmouth houses the naval base and
includes historic ships such as HMS Victory. You can
get a short boat trip around the harbour showing which
warships are in dock. Southsea itself is quite
pleasant with a small beach and funfair. In fact when
I went to the game I met a strange lady who travelled
down to Portsmouth for each game by herself from
Wolverhampton! When asked why, she replied that she
had been taken to Southsea as a child and therefore
liked to visit it before each game. So there you go it
wasn't the football that was the attraction!
Simon Eddy adds; 'there is a new development called
the Gunwharf Quays, which has opened adjacent to
the historic ships dockyard. There are a number of
bars, restaurants, plus a bowling alley, cinema and
shopping factory outlet. For more details visit www.gunwharf-quays.com'. The quays incorporate the spectacular
Spinnaker Tower, which is well worth a visit
for some stunning views from over 300 feet
up. Anyone intending to visit the City Centre,
Gunwharf Quays or the Old Portsmouth area before the
game would be better off entering the city on the M275
rather than the A2030.
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| Feedback |
If
anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide.
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